Decision Support System Design
Spring term, 2011
Ken Baker
Buchanan 102
6-2064
Bob Burnham
Chase 311
6-2518
Academic Coordinator: Deborah Gibbs
Buchanan 103
6-3747
deborah.l.gibbs@dartmouth.edu
Course Description
A decision support system (DSS) provides organizations and individuals with informative
analyses that enhance decision making. A DSS is made up of a model (or models), a
source of data, and a user interface. When a model is implemented in Excel, it is possible
to use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to make the system more efficient by
automating interactive tasks that users would otherwise have to repeat routinely. VBA
can also make the system more powerful by extending the functionality of a spreadsheet
model and by customizing its use. This course covers the programming and design skills
needed to build spreadsheet-based decision support systems, and it includes a project
option for each student.
Why would an MBA student be interested in this course?
The material in this course extends problem-solving capabilities acquired in the Decision
Science course and elsewhere in the curriculum. Whereas the typical treatment of a
problem-solving technique would lead to a stand-alone model based on a given data set,
the DSS approach makes it possible to integrate different model types, to insulate an
unsophisticated user from the details of the analysis, and to tailor the models to the
specific needs of a decision-making client. This capability is especially important when
the client is not comfortable with Excel or when the underlying model needs to be
protected from the ultimate user. The student will discover how to design a convenient
user interface that will link data, models, and reports with each other and with decisionmaking needs. Ultimately, the design and implementation of decision-support activities
represents a valuable capability in consulting and staff support positions in industry.
Text
S. Christian Albright, VBA for Modelers, Brooks/Cole (2010, Third Edition).
DSSD Syllabus
Page 1
Course Assignments and Grades
This course meets once a week at a regularly scheduled time. In addition, an optional lab
class will be organized. Homework assignments are due at the start of each regularly
scheduled class, including the first. The course grade is based on the homework
assignments, in-class exercises, and a project.
Supplementary References
M. Seref, R. Ahuja, and W. Winston, Developing Spreadsheet-based Decision Support
Systems, Dynamic Ideas (2007).
An alternative text, which was used for this course in 2007, but only about a third
of the book supports the course. Part I reviews Excel. Part II supports the course.
Part III contains some advanced material and a set of case exercises.
Excel 2010 Power Programming with VBA by John Walkenbach. Wiley. 2010.
Walkenbach has written a series of successful books on Excel. This one is
oriented to VBA.
VBA and Macros: Microsoft Excel 2010 by Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad. Que. 2010.
Safari Books Online (must be coming from Dartmouth IP address, e.g. on campus or
VPN): http://proquest.safaribooksonline.com/
A Fast Track To Structured Finance Modeling, Monitoring and Valuation: Jump Start
VBA by William Preinitz, Wiley, 2009.
This book is intended mainly to cover finance topics, but it has an introduction to
VBA and might be suitable for students with a strong orientation to finance.
Credit Risk Modeling using Excel and VBA by Gunter Loeffler and Peter N. Posch,
Wiley, 2007.
This book might be suitable for students with a strong orientation to finance. It's
another example of some specialized books that draw on VBA.
DSSD Syllabus
Page 2
Decision Support Systems Design: Outline
Class #1 (3/23): Introduction to VBA and the Excel Object Model
Ch 1-3. The VBA environment
Ch 4. Macros
Homework Due: HW 1.1-4
Class #2 (3/29): Introduction to Programming
Ch 5. Variables, Objects, Formulas
Ch 6. Ranges
Homework Due: HW2.1-5
Class #3 (4/5): Programming Concepts
Ch 7. Controls: conditional statements and loops
Ch 10. Subroutines and functions
Homework Due:
HW3.1-5
Class #4: (4/12): Using Arrays in VBA Programming
Ch 9. Arrays
Homework Due:
HW4.1-5
Class #5 (4/19): User Interfaces
Ch 11. User forms, error-checking, and protection
Homework Due:
HW5.1-4
Class #6: (4/26): Using VBA to Manage Data
Ch 8. Collections and other objects
Homework Due:
HW6.1-4
Class #7 (5/3): Libraries
Ch 17. Controlling Excel’s Solver
Homework Due:
Class #8 (5/10): Catch-up
Homework Due:
HW7.1-4
HW8.1-2
Class #9 (5/17): Projects and Review
DSSD Syllabus
Page 3